Isaiah 19:3

3 And the spirit of {the Egyptians} will be disturbed in his midst, and I will {confuse} his plans, and they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, and the ghosts and the spiritists.

Isaiah 19:3 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 19:3

And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof,
&c.] Meaning not the spirit of valour and courage, that is expressed before, but of wisdom, prudence, and understanding; the wisdom of Egypt, in which Moses is said to be brought up, ( Acts 7:22 ) was famous all the world over; hither men of learning, as the ancient philosophers, Pythagoras, Plato, and others, travelled, to improve in knowledge, and gain a larger acquaintance with things human and divine; it was the mother and mistress of the liberal arts and sciences; but now what was before like a river full of water, was about to be "emptied", and drained dry, as the word ^F25 used signifies: and I will destroy the counsels thereof;
or "swallow [them] up" {z}, so that they shall be no more seen, or take effect: this explains what is before meant by the spirit of Egypt, and which is further enlarged on, and illustrated in ( Isaiah 19:11-13 ) , and they shall seek to the idols;
with which the land abounded, particularly to Osiris and Isis, to Apis, Latona, and others: and to the charmers;
that used incantations and spells; magicians and conjurers, that whispered and muttered; for the word used has the signification of speaking in a slow and drawling manner. The Targum renders it "witches"; but Jarchi takes it to be the name of an idol: and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards;
(See Gill on Isaiah 8:19).

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 (hqbn) "evacuabitur", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator, Cocceius.
F26 (elba) "deglutiam", Montanus; "absorpsero", Junius & Tremellius; "absorbebo", Piscator.

Isaiah 19:3 In-Context

1 An oracle of Egypt: Look! Yahweh [is] riding on a swift cloud and [is] coming [to] Egypt. And the idols of Egypt will tremble in front of him, and the heart of Egypt melts in his inner parts.

2 "And I will stir up {Egyptians} against {Egyptians}, and each one will fight against his brother and each one against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

3 And the spirit of {the Egyptians} will be disturbed in his midst, and I will {confuse} his plans, and they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, and the ghosts and the spiritists.

4 And I will hand over {the Egyptians} into [the] hand of a hard master, and a powerful king will rule over them," {declares} the Lord Yahweh of hosts.

5 And [the] waters will be dried up from the sea, and [the] river will be parched and dry.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "Egypt"
• [b] Literally "engulf"
• [c] Hebrew "plan"